The Future is Now

The packaging line is proving to be an ideal environment for implementing robotic technology to automate mundane, repetitive and dangerous tasks.

By D. Majumder

The word robot still seems futuristic, but the term apparently goes back to the 1920 play R.U.R., authored by Czech writer Karl Capek. The initials stand for Rossum’s Universal Robots, and Capek tells the story of a factory that produces robotic devices. By the play’s end, the number of robots eventually eclipses that of their masters, and a robot uprising results in the elimination of the human race.

FANUC Robotics’ new M-410iB series of heavy-duty palletizing robots is designed for precise, high-speed and heavy-payload case and bag palletizing and depalletizing, layer handling, press tending, machine load/unload and parts transfer.

Futurists have since predicted a happier scenario, one in which compliant robots assist us in every aspect of our lives. Such widespread automation hasn’t happened yet, of course, but there’s no question that a quiet revolution is taking place with robotic products becoming increasingly common on the factory floor. The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) reports that during the first nine months of 2003, North American–based robotics companies received new orders totaling nearly $700 million, with strong business from food and consumer goods customers in particular.

In many ways, this is a no-brainer. For a start, robotic devices make the perfect stand-in for employees who would otherwise be forced to work in hazardous environments or perform mundane, repetitive tasks. Theoretically, at least, robots consistently deliver high-quality results, work nonstop without breaks and never get hurt.

And, in many ways, the packaging industry has been at the forefront of the movement to realize the potential of these innovations. But, of course, it’s never quite that simple. Despite many advances in robotics technology, installing such devices on the factory floor involves arduous planning, implementation and adjustment.

 

Robots in the Cookie Jar

Pepperidge Farm installed several robot systems as far back as 1988. One system (with 16 arms) robotically sandwiches cookies, while another (with 18 arms) tray-loads products for single-serve cookie packages. Since then, both systems have recorded more than 50,000 hours of operation, although there have been rebuilds in the past couple years.

SIG Doboy Presto Feed Placer

“These were two difficult applications that pushed the technology almost beyond its capabilities in terms of vision and control,” says David Watson, vice president of engineering at Pepperidge Farm. He adds that the process involved months of development and a steep learning curve.

Still, Watson notes, “Being an early adopter provided us with the technical knowledge and experience to develop better systems going forward—the new robot technologies are easier to program, quicker to install, have higher speeds and are more reliable.” Today, Pepperidge Farm has an installed base of 90 robots that handle a variety of packaging and processing operations.

Among other vendors, Pepperidge Farm is a customer of Flexicell Inc., which manufactures robotic case packing and palletizing solutions for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, health care and durable goods industries. The company also integrates products from manufacturers, including Adept Technology in San Jose, Calif., and Fanuc Robotics North America in Rochester Hills, Mich.

According to Watson, Flexicell’s solutions embody the speed Pepperidge Farm requires on its packaging line. For example, its multiaxis robotic case packing cells can operate at 40 to 50 cycles per minute depending on the product being packed. And by using an indexing conveyor, the devices can handle product speeds of more than 200 individual bags per minute.

Pepperidge Farm has also installed robotic case packing cells that are able to track and inspect products via vision guidance. With cameras and overhead lighting, the systems help to determine product position on the conveyor and product uniformity. For production operations, this yields the dual benefit of disregarding products that don’t meet quality control, while still picking good products anywhere on the conveyor within a specified window.

“Robots can be extraordinarily flexible automation tools,” says Hans Schouten, vice president of marketing at Flexicell, based in Ashland, Va. He points out that the technology is ideal for replacing repetitive-motion tasks or most aspects of any job function carried out by the human arm. Boasting an accuracy rate of .04 inches and a meantime robot arm failure of 50,000 hours, robot technology far surpasses conventional performance standards.

 

Technology in the Bottle

Another vendor making major advances in this market is Schneider Packaging Equipment Co., an “end-of-the-line” solutions provider in Brewerton, N.Y., whose products and services include case packing, robotic palletizing and systems integration. Schneider also manufactures and integrates other ancillary items such as conveyors, case elevators and lowerators, pallet dispensers, slip-sheet dispensers and shuttle-transfer cars for full-unit loads.

One major client of Schneider Packaging, who asked not be named for competitive reasons, is a plastic bottle manufacturer in Puerto Rico. The company, which began implementing robotic solutions about three years ago, has found that palletizing bottles is a particularly suitable function for this technology.

“Our previous system was labor intensive,” says an executive at the company. “It required four full-time employees for one product and four more for another product. Our process requires a slip sheet between layers. When they were placed manually, poor machine handling resulted in numerous containers falling over, requiring the layers to be reorganized.” The new, automated system lays the slip sheet exactly as required every time, and runs two different products in the same area, which improves space utilization. Essentially, it’s an accurate loading system that runs with minimal supervision 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The system continues to perform on a high level and has not needed any special service since it has been running,” the executive reports. “The level of quality and technology were the factors in the selection of this automated concept, and the knowledge gained in this process can be transferred to our company’s other packaging plants.

” Schneider’s Motoman robotic product line yields “ultimate flexibility” for palletizing functionality, according to Izzat Hammad, the company’s robotic systems sales engineer. The system, which can be integrated with the company’s end-of-arm tooling and other components required, makes for a complete end-of-line palletizing solution. Reliable, rigid handling can be achieved with an increased payload and enhanced wrist-allowable movement. The company also uses robotics for pick-and-place operations, case packing, decasing and other tasks.

The Dark Factory: Are We There Yet? One phrase that echoes through much of the discussion about robotic technology is the notion of the “dark factory.” This concept involves the complete elimination of human workers from the factory environment, with production personnel being replaced by more efficient robotic substitutes. This is not a new idea, of course; there was talk of similar paradigm shifts as far back as the 18th century during the Industrial Revolution, when factories displaced entire agrarian economies. Today, robotic technology may be seen as the ultimate kind of outsourcing. Jobs don’t go to cheaper workers in another state or another country—they go to machines. But does that mean it’s really happening? “There are already dark factories in parts of the country,” says Hans Schouten, vice president of marketing at Flexicell Inc. “There are engineers in the control room, and the parking lot has been reduced to four cars.” He predicts that with increasing price competition in a global economy, this scenario will become increasingly common. Others aren’t so convinced. “Robotics and automation have provided significant labor savings and quality improvements through the years, but they are not a replacement for human labor in all areas,” says David Watson, vice president of engineering at Pepperidge Farm. “The idea of the factory where a ‘man and a dog’ run the entire operation is probably years away.” The near-term prospects appear to be somewhere in between. Just as technology takes its toll on many production jobs, other skilled workers will be needed to create and run the new machines. But they will likely be people with different skills and performing different job functions. Where and how those changes come—and how they affect real people—will likely differ by company and industry. In short, you probably won’t find a broad transition that produces a dark-factory norm.

Another company taking an innovative approach is Robotic Solutions, part of the Blue Print Automation Group based in Colonial Heights, Va. This manufacturer designs vision-guided robotics applied to packaging, processing and product assembly in the consumer goods industry with specialization in areas such as raw frozen products, baked goods, dairy products, chocolates and pre-packaged pouched products.

And the industry can expect even more innovation—as well as more speed—in the years ahead, according to Blue Print CEO Martin Prakken. “Start looking for 3D,” he says. “The better the vision systems, the more load-efficient the feeding system.”

 

System Overhaul

While advances in robotic technology continue to emerge in different applications, suppliers caution that the entire production process should be rethought and, in some cases, retooled to take full advantage of every innovation.

“Customers need to focus on system reliability, not just robot reliability,” says Bill Donohue, president of Automated Production Systems Corp. of New Freedom, Pa. “This includes the upstream equipment used to deliver and position material for the robot and the downstream equipment used to handle the discharged package from the robot. The system design and the quality and reliability of the supporting equipment are critical to the success of a robot system.”

The robot almost always needs to communicate with upstream and downstream programmable logic controllers (PLCs), so truly effective PLC programs are a must for robotic technology to reach optimum efficiency. In packaging automation, the proper integration among the robot, upstream feeding systems and downstream take-away systems are critical.

APS has installed systems that locate and then pick and place up to 1,200 items per minute for a broad range of products such as baked goods, frozen products, blister strips and cheese.

 

Intelligent Beings

Skirting close to the line of science fiction, some robotic technology has taken on distinctly intelligent characteristics. The M-410iB series is the latest-generation palletizing industrial robot from FANUC Robotics North America. The unit is engineered for precision high-speed/high-payload operation, user-friendly setup and maximum reliability.

At various client sites, this product line is not just a one-dimensional piece of equipment that acts according to a specific set of predefined palletizing parameters, but can perform any number of palletizing tasks. It thinks for itself, taking in and interpreting ever-changing variables and arriving at optimal palletizing solutions. When integrated with a custom end effector, the robot can handle multiple case sizes, pallet patterns and payloads at speeds of up to 30 cases per minute.

The speed factor is one benefit cited by almost every vendor in the marketplace. SIG Doboy of New Richmond, Wis., for example, offers a wide range of packaging equipment: from wrappers to feeders and pick-and-place machines. The Presto Feed Placer, a delta-style robot, places and collates products directly into cartoners or wrappers at the speed of 400 units per minute. The grippers are designed to pick up almost any kind of product, and the technology adapts to changes in production flow. The company emphasizes that it also provides extensive training programs to help with product training and maintenance, a factor not lost on clients aware of the intricacies involved in robotic technology implementation.

ConAgra Foods has just begun the process of running SIG Doboy Presto technology and remains guarded about the advantages the machinery brings to its processes. “We’re using them for running a variety pack or more than one flavor in a carton, and we are still trying to determine what other areas we can use them in,” says Dale Kluxdal, mechanical design engineer at ConAgra. Asked about the benefits, he says it’s still “too early to tell what changes will be made and the effect on the bottom line.”

So what’s the true benefit to implementing robotic technology in packaging environments? The technological advances are all but undeniable: faster speeds, more accuracy, more efficiency and greater productivity. Despite the inherent risks in adopting any new technology—including the high cost of implementation, the learning curve, training, adjustments needed to meet specific requirements, vendor support, maintenance and the change in processes—there’s little question that a well-handled implementation will benefit the bottom line. But there may be other benefits as well.

“All [of our] robot installations over the past few years have achieved excellent payback,” says Pepperidge Farm’s Watson. “But more importantly, they have automated high-risk tasks that have allowed us to provide better working conditions to our employees.”

D. Majumder is a freelance journalist based in New York.